MyBinding Knowledge Base
How to Laminate Photographs
Do you have a lot of special photographs that you want to enjoy for years to come? If so, laminating them is a great idea. Laminating your photographs will protect them from spills, make them tear-proof, and the colors can even be enhanced. There are a couple of ways you can do this. Here they are:
1. Use a pouch laminator.
If you have a pouch laminator with a cold setting, you can definitely use it to process your photographs. You will need to use the cold setting because heat can damage the photos, especially if they were printed on an ink-jet printer.
- To laminate your photos, turn on the laminator and select the cold setting.
- Place your picture in a pressure-sensitive pouch and put it in the machine’s feed opening. (The folded edge of the pouch needs to go in first.)
- Just repeat the process for the other photos you want to laminate.
- If you used a pouch that was too large for your photo, just trim the excess film with a craft knife or rotary trimmer.
2. Use self-sealing pouches.
If you don’t have an access to a pouch laminator, you can always use self-sealing pouches. Using these pouches is incredibly easy.
- After you choose your pouch, just place your picture in it and remove the liner to expose the adhesive.
- Apply the laminate to the photograph, making sure there are no bubbles or wrinkles. That’s all there is to it.
Finally, you might want to use laminating pouches that offer UV protection. Sunlight can cause your photos to fade over time and pouches with UV protection can prevent this from happening. Also, matte pouches are a nice choice for photos because they reduce glare.
Laminating your photographs is easy and it’s one of the best ways to make them last longer. Try laminating yours today.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
